National Picnic Week, 17-23 June

It’s National Picnic Week from 17 to 23 June 2013 and it’s time to look at whether we’re doing the great British picnic justice. Who hasn’t turned up at the beach, or park, with a picnic lunch, only to have really skimped on effort and innovation? If you’re the type of person who takes some cheese and tomato sandwiches, wrapped in foil, a shop-bought packet of sausage rolls, some crisps and a bottle of orange squash as your picnic lunch then you should be really ashamed as it really takes so little extra effort to make your picnic a memorable experience, rather than simply “something to eat”.

National Picnic Week

National Picnic Week

The British really knew how to picnic, I’ve some old photos showing family picnics with a good picnic blanket laid out, everybody around the blanket eating yummy dishes from the big picnic hamper – and these moments were immortalised in a photo. Ask yourself who last took a photo of you unfurling your tin foil?

Well, here’s the excuse you were waiting for – it’s National Picnic Week so time to update and organise your picnic fare and picnic ware so you can grab them on a whim in the future and have memorable days out with your friends and family.

What you’ll need:

  • A good, large, cheery picnic blanket.
  • Some bright and cheery picnic plates and cutlery
  • An attractive picnic basket to keep everything in
  • A good picnic cookbook to dip into for inspiration!

Picnic food can be prepared ahead, the night before, so all you need do in the morning is open the fridge door and pack it into the basket.

There are some great new books out to celebrate the Great British Picnic, one “Picnic Food” by Annie Bell shows how you can give your picnics a new lease of life and is packed full of easy picnic ideas, picnics you can create from store-cupboard items quickly and picnic food that looks sensational.

Annie Bell’s book takes a fresh look at dips, pates, cold cuts, breads, tarts, pies, salads, a Sunday roast picnic and hot food on location. It’s also packed with ideas of what to do if it rains and staying cool in a heatwave. It also takes a look at containers and serving dishes, as well as portable BBQs. There’s also a Picnic Checklist so you don’t forget anything.

[wordbay] picnic food annie bell [/wordbay]

Image © picnic basket, jeremy noble

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